Bond 22 Filmmakers Set?

Share.

New director, writer rumored.

By Stax

According to a report attributed to The Daily Mail, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are moving full-steam ahead with the untitled 22nd James Bond film, a follow-up to Casino Royale, by hiring a new screenwriter and director.

The report claims that playwright/Oscar-winning screenwriter Tom Stoppard is "in talks" to pen the screenplay. Bond series vets Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were previously confirmed as working on the script. For Casino Royale, Purvis & Wade fleshed out the basic story and structure before Oscar winner Paul Haggis was brought in to polish dialogue and character.

Stoppard is not unfamiliar with the espionage genre. He is currently rewriting The Bourne Ultimatum, and has also scripted The Russia House, which starred Never Say Never Again's Sean Connery and Klaus Maria Brandauer.

The Daily Mail also claims that Eon Prods. are "in negotiations" with South African-born director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Changing Lanes) to helm Bond 22. New Bond star Daniel Craig previously worked with Michell on Enduring Love and has reportedly been pushing for his hiring.

Michell is in keeping with the kinds of directors the Bond franchise has recently been employing: notable but hardly A-list non-American filmmakers, such as Roger Spottiswoode and Michael Apted, who are better known for character-driven dramas than they are for big action movies. Royale director Martin Campbell is an exception, whereas Lee Tamahori gained attention for films such as Once Were Warriors before tackling Die Another Day.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) will return; click on the pic for a gallery of Casino Royale images!

The rumor mill has long suggested that Bond 22 will lens either later this year or early next year to cash in on the irresistible "007 in '007" release date. The next two sequels will reportedly follow a story arc established in Casino Royale.